Israel imposes another lockdown after detecting new COVID-19 strain

Israel's health ministry said on Thursday that it had detected four new cases of thestrain ofcoronavirus that had emerged from South Africa and reported in England as it announced third national lockdown this year to combat the virus.

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The government has moved to ban foreign nationals arriving from Britain, South Africa and Denmark. The health authorities also imposed mandatory quarantine for all arrivals from abroad.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed citizens that a new lockdown will be imposed from Sunday lasting two weeks.

"There is an option to extend the lockdown for an additional two weeks unless the basic reproduction number (for the virus) falls below 1 and the number of new cases per day falls below 1,000," PM Netanyahu said even as the country began its vaccination drive.

The lockdown can be extended with final cabinet approval. Israel 385,000 coronavirus cases and 3,150 fatalities. The new lockdown measures include the closure of shops, partial lockdown of schools with people allowed to travel just one kilometre from their home.

Businesses have also ordered to be closed except for deliveries. Israel had lockdown last in September as cases dipped, however, it has the number of COVID-19 cases has been rising in the past month with the country recording the highest per capita infection rate in the world.

The restrictions include not more than ten people to be present in places of worship and in closed places with a hundred people allowed to congregate in open areas.

The new lockdown measures come even as the country prepares for another election for the fourth time in two years amid public anger over Netanyahu's handling of the coronavirus crisis.